Many yummy-looking brand-new places now open for YOU!
⢠NETTLETOWN on Eastlake: Christina Choi has opened this place in the tiny, cute former location of Sitka & Spruce (which itself is set to reopen on Capitol Hill this spring). Choi is a friend and protege of S&S's Matt Dillon, and she also founded Foraged and Found Edibles, so expect lots of nice wild foods on the menu. Note that Nettletown's starting out only open for lunch. Here is a short 'n' funny interview with her. She sounds awesome.
⢠THAI CURRY SIMPLE in the I.D.: A little Thai place that is super-cheap, very delicious and run by the nicest couple in the world. People who've gone there all instantly become Thai Curry Simple fanatics: THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU. Note: T.C.S. is only open until 4 p.m.
⢠JUP JUP JUP THAI RESTAURANT on Capitol Hill: The name means "kiss kiss kiss," and the place is from the people of the well-liked local Racha Thai chain (in the space where Chili Basil and, before that, Thai Go used to be). The super-rich, spicy-without-any-stars green curry with a braised half game hen is especially good (get the coconut rice!).
⢠EL PILON in Columbia City: A small Puerto Rican place featuring only six things on the menu (and no liquor) and a small white-haired lady as the cook/owner (she wears a floral apronâadorable). Vegetarians will starve, but awesome chicken fricassee and tostones (according to my trusty friend Jill).
⢠BLUEACRE SEAFOOD downtown: Brought to you by Steelhead Diner chef/owner Kevin Davis in the gigantor space at the corner of 7th and Olive where Oceanaire used to be. Davis was the chef at Oceanaire during the time that the fancy seafood chain earned grudgingly excellent reviews from critics and citizensâgrudging because everyone wished it was a locally owned great fish place, which, now, Blueacre is poised to be (bringing all of this full circle, if you will). In short: The gourmands of Seattle are psyched to try Blueacre's presumably delicious (if correspondingly expensive) seafood.
⢠EMERALD CITY FISH AND CHIPS on Rainier: What it sounds like, and locally owned, and reportedly good, inexpensive, and quick.
⢠DELICATUS in Pioneer Square: Delicatus is the product of "the simple concept that people in the greater Seattle area deserve a better sandwich." It seeks to correct what its founders see as a regional misrepresentation of the Amer-European delicatessen tradition, using mainly local/artisan/sustainable ingredients. People in comments on my hyperventilating preview Slog post say they're not quite there yet, but hopefully they'll come along.
⢠BAGUETTE on Capitol Hill: A to-go spot on Madison serving Vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches that cost more but have more filling than your typical I.D. ones. The owners also have a Baguette in Corvallis, Oregon, that people in Corvallis, Oregon, seem to really, really like.
⢠DUMPLING DOJO on Broadway: A temporary restaurant on Broadway serving soupy or pan-seared dumplings with a variety of different fillings (it's where Siam used to be, and only there until the space becomes a bank).
⢠SPICY TALK BISTRO in a Redmond strip mall: A Chinese place brought to you by the original, awesome chef of old favorites Seven Stars Pepper and Szechuan Chef (click the link for the whole story/raving by Nancy Leson of the Seattle Times.
⢠THE DILLER ROOM downtown (in the back of STELLA CAFFE: A lovely (but not-trying-too-hard-to-be-lovely) lounge where an actual speakeasy used to be (and no, they are not calling it a "speakeasy")âa glass of wine or a cocktail in a cushy booth here is one of the city's brand-newest, most civilized pleasures.
⢠POUR HOUSE near Green Lake: Where the Luau Polynesian Lounge was, the same owners bring you "a dynamic cocktail lounge and dining establishment with a welcoming neighborhood feel," with a menu "best described as elevated comfort food using the finest local, sustainable ingredients."
⢠THE GRIZZLED WIZARD in Wallingford: a new bar with a great name (if you're gonna have a wizard, you definitely want him grizzled).
And in the RIP category:
⢠The original RED ROBIN by the University Bridge
⢠ZHIVAGO'S CAFE on Broadway
⢠CHINA GATE in the I.D.
⢠TWISTED CORK WINE BAR and STIR MARTINI + WINE BAR in Bellevue
⢠WALL BAR AND GRILL in West Seattle
